NEW! Enhanced bass: The bass response on the original SoundCore was good, but it has been enhanced even further on the SoundCore 2. There is a larger bass radiator on the front-center of the SoundCore 2 that boosts lows and makes both music and podcasts sound great. The bass is not heavy, so don’t expect window-rattling sound that would annoy the neighbors. However, it is a nice boost from the original model.

NEW! Covered ports: On the original SoundCore model, the charging and Aux input ports were exposed. There is now a cover over these ports on the SoundCore 2, with a small protrusion on the cover to aid in opening it. This provides some additional protection to the speaker to keep out dust and light water droplets, but the speaker is not completely waterproof.

Clarity: I’m pleased to find that the music clarity of the mids and highs was maintained from the original SoundCore model, which was one of the features that made the original model so popular. Therefore, you will find similar sound quality with a further enhancement to the bass.

Speakerphone: I tested out the speakerphone feature of this speaker and the caller found the sound quality to be very good and could hear me well, but he could definitely tell that I was not on my iPhone. There was some background hiss due to the lack of noise cancellation, so you will not be able to use the speakerphone effectively in a noisy environment.

Siri control: You can call up Siri by holding the “Play” button for 2 seconds. This allows you to ask Siri to pull up your favorite playlist or to send a text message without picking up your iPhone.

Long battery life: Like the original SoundCore, the SoundCore 2 can run up to 24 hours on a single charge. I found this to accurate as I was able to use the speaker a few hours each day and I only found myself charging the speaker about once a week. You can keep tabs on the battery status with the indicator on the iOS status bar.

Form factor: The speaker retains virtually the same form factor of the original SoundCore, but with rounded corners.

CONs

High volume: At high volumes (at about 75% of the max volume according to the iPhone volume control), the speaker emphasizes highs and begins to sound “tinny” and even a little “screechy” at times. This issue is actually worse than what I found on the original SoundCore. So this speaker would not be ideal for large parties or for using outdoors. However, this shouldn’t be expected given the speaker’s size.

Overall. if you loved the original SoundCore, you’ll love the SoundCore 2. You can expect similar sound quality with a little more kick to the bass, as well as long battery life and great portability.